The Ukrainian government has banned unscheduled flights to Russia in the wake of a visit to Moscow by presidential candidate Yuri Boiko and Chairman of the Political Council of the ‘Opposition Platform – For Life’ party Viktor Medvedchuk. The move was initiated by the Ukrainian Interior Ministry.
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov claimed that the two opposition members “used a loophole in Ukraine’s legislation” to take a direct flight to Moscow. He added that the Interior Ministry had initiated amendments to the legislation concerning the use of the country’s air space in order to “make unscheduled flights between Ukraine and the aggressor country impossible.”
Avakov also said that the ban would not apply to potential flights arranged for international organizations such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Ukrainian Prime Minister Vladimir Groisman, in turn, said that he “would allow these politicians to travel by an An-2 biplane aircraft provided it is a one-way trip.” “It must be clear to everyone that no one has the right to humiliate the state of Ukraine,” he added.
Groisman emphasized that “these restrictions will remain in place until Russia… ceases to be an aggressor country and turns into a civilized state.”